It's like one of those nightmares when no matter where you run, the monsters keep coming. Despite Washington's frantic efforts, the financial crisis and resulting recession look more scary by the day. The big banks, having absorbed some of their weaker brethren and swallowed up hundreds of billions in government aid, still seem so shaky that talk of nationalization is ever louder, with Citigroup already negotiating a deal under which the feds would take up to 40% of the common stock. Fear of the situation helped send stocks to new lows on Feb. 23, with the S&P 500 ignominiously sinking to levels last seen in 1997. To combat investor terrors, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke waxed as optimistic as he could in congressional appearances on Feb. 24 and 25, promising recovery in 2010.